Brisket Help

[nolan]

I've searched the boards and found several recipes/tips for smoking brisket and now that I've smoked my first I need to ask, how long should it take?

I have an 8 lb brisket with fat cap.  I seasoned with salt & pepper, wrapped in plastic, and left in the fridge overnight. 

I removed the brisket from the fridge and sat on counter for about an hours.  Simultaneously, I preheated the smoker to 220.

I placed the brisket in the center rack (3rd from bottom on 6 rack model).

I changed the smoker temp to 190* and set the time for 9hrs, 40 mins (I later added another 20 minutes to make a full 10 hours).  Simultaneously I started the smoke and set it to run 5 hours.

After about 4 hours, I had to add water but immediately closed the door.

The brisket smoked for 5 hours and slow cooked at 180 - 190* for 10 hours.  I checked the internal temp and it read 146*.  Frustrated, I let it cook at 200* for another hour.

It wasn't done, so I removed it from the smoker, double wrapped with foil and threw in the oven at 300* for another 1.5 hours.  As I type there's about 15 minutes to go and I'll check the internal temp.

So where did I go wrong?  Does it just take a long time to cook?  Did I cook it too low?  Did it not sit out of the fridge long enough?  I would have expected more cooking action in the smoker but it barely made a mess on the V-tray (above drip pan/bowl)....

Any help would be much appreciated...

[squirtthecat]

At 225°, a brisket will take between 1 to 1.5 hours per pound..

You just need to do it at a slightly higher temp next time.

[MPTubbs]

Around 150ish it will also stall....up to 4 hours worth.

When it stalls that's when the magic happens.

I smoke/cook at 220* and if I had a 8 pounder I would count on at least 12 to 14 hours to hit IT of 195* to 200*.

[nolan]

Thanks and I totally agree.  I need to raise the temp!  My oldest asked, "where's the bark?" and I noticed I couldn't cut it with a fork but otherwise it tasted great.  I probably let it go in the oven a bit too long (2 hrs @ 300*).

Next time, I'll smoke it for 6 hours and cook at 220* for the remaining time (11 total hours or so).  I want bark and the fat to melt off...

[MPTubbs]

Nolan--

Don't worry about time...we don't really go by that.

We go by internal temp. (IT)

Low and slow is how you get brisket to cut with a fork and melt in your mouth!

[Quarlow]

And you can set the temp to 220 right away while the smoke is rolling. And yeah go by the IT(internal temp) of the meat. That is how you will know when it is done. Most guys will give themselves plenty of time to get it done and then FTC it for up to 4 or 5 hours with no problems. FTC refers to Foil, Towel, Cooler. When the IT is almost reached you wrap it in foil then wrap it with a towel and then stick it in a small cooler just big enough to fit it in. The temp will actually rise 5 to 10 degrees if left alone.

[Pachanga]

Nolan,

These board members have given you some good advice and from your remarks, I know you understand their points.  I will comment with a little more advice and hopefully will add to the conversation and not bring confusion.

A brisket is ready when it is ready.  

So, what language does a brisket speak to tell you it is ready?  Does it speak through a thermometer reading?  No, but a thermometer will give you some clues as to what it is thinking and can be relied upon to get close to optimum temperature.  How about color?  Again, color is a clue but not an answer.  Should time be your guide?   There are many variables to time.  Size and shape of the meat, internal temperature (IT) of the meat when started, temperature of the Bradley, total meat load if more than one piece of meat, water source, initial temperature of Bradley along with components such as water, bricks or other meat, vent opening, rack location, number of door openings and duration, temperature of water refills, ambient temperature, and of course oven temperature setting and adjustments during the smoke. These are just a few variables off the top of my feeble brain; there are many more.  Time can vary greatly and is most unreliable.

While the brisket will give you clues as to its condition, it remains silent.  A brisket is ready when the collagen and connective tissues dissolve, liquefy and loosen their grip, allowing the individual strands of meat fiber to be lubricated and easily separated.  This starts to take place as low as 140 degrees F, really gets active around 160 to 170 (as Tubbs states, this is when a stall is likely to occur), and finally gives up the ghost between 185 and 200 IT in the middle of the flat.  The IT is a great clue but it is not definitive.  There can be as much as a 15 degree window between briskets.

Again, a brisket is ready when it is ready.  But how do we know when that is?  The answer is through interrogation and torture.  This is the only way to discern the perfect temperature to break down each brisket's unique connective tissue and collagen makeup and content.

We must be diligent and proactive to get the information we need from the brisket.  We must interrogate the brisket.  At 185 IT in the middle of the flat, it is time to torture the brisket into talking.  Slide a meat fork with two tines into the skinny end of the flat parallel to the meat fibers.  Twist the fork.  If the fork twists easily and the meat breaks away with the fibers easily separated, the brisket has confessed that it is ready.  If the fibers stay together and the fork doesn't easily twist, give the brisket 5 more degrees to think about it and try again at 190.  Continue every five degrees until the brisket spills it guts by breaking apart.  At this point you can be sure the brisket is giving accurate information by inserting a temperature probe into the flat (about 1/3 of the total brisket length form the skinny end) starting from the edge and poking it deep into the middle.  It should slide in like going into butter, with very little resistance.  You have gotten all the information you need.  The interrogation is over.  Pull the brisket and let it rest.

At this point, I generally cut a little burnt end off of the deckle; a diabolical smile on my lips, as I enjoy the first taste of my labors.  It is time to hoist a cold one, toast the worthy opponent and exclaim "It just don't get any better than this".  Yes, this is the way life ought-ta be.

Some final points to ponder:

You have tested the thin tip of the flat for fork tender.  Since it is the thinnest part of the brisket, this is the first part of the flat to reach that brisket's temperature where its unique combination and makeup of collagen and connective tissue has dissolved and released its grip.   During the rest period, hangover temperature will continue to rise and cook the thicker part of the flat, thus achieving the exact same fork tender meat in the middle that you tested in the thin tip.  The thick flat will finish without overcooking because you judged the rest time (using the thin end) just as the middle was beginning to enter its final optimum phase.  The probe slipped in easily but the final loosening of the fibers was not over.  This hangover heat rise will bring the thick part of the flat up to the perfect finishing temperature which was confessed by the brisket during interrogation and torture.  Even though not absolutely necessary, the Foil, Towel, Cooler (FTC) method will equalize this optimum temperature throughout the brisket and prolong this temperature for a more forgiving product.

Most briskets will confess and give it up between 190 and 195 in the middle 1/3 of the flat.   If your oven temperature is at 180 to 190, the brisket will never give up because optimum confession temperature is never reached.  The Bradley should be between 205 and 225 according to most experienced Bradley users on this board.  This up to a 40 degree temperature difference from your stated temperature will cause a cumulative time collection of several hours to add to your overall smoke time.

There is a caveat to the above.  The information is predicated on cooking low and slow, adequate moisture the entire cooking time which includes a full water pan and may include mop and slather.  It also includes protection from direct high heat.  Without a moist environment, the fibers can dry out, tighten and never release any information (even under the most intense interrogation) which will produce a dry tough brisket.  Indications that your brisket is ok and everything is going according to plan is a little plump spring (like pushing on a full belly) when pushed on with tongs or some bend and limberness when lifted in the middle or ends.  If the brisket starts to handle like a stiff board, be much afraid.  

Your son asks

where's the bark?

The bark will firm up and finish during the last hours of a smoke.  This is called the Maillard Reaction.  Wrapping in foil will retard bark formation.  This is further explained in the following post.

I Prefer to Smoke Totally Naked - A Brisket and Ribs Manifesto
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=12455.0

You state that

I want bark and the fat to melt off.

The fat cap will reduce but it will still be there.  Even as the fat cap reduces and melts, the brisket will also reduce by as much as 40 percent.   This condenses and concentrates the remaining fat cap over a smaller surface area.  It may remain fairly thick and appear to not have melted away. This is not bad.  Let your guests do the trimming at the table.  Fat equals flavor.  You will be amazed at how little of this bark laden fat is left on the plates.  For the best bark, leave the foil off.

Next time, start at a higher true temperature (I recommend a chamber probe).  Maintain that temperature at the meat rack level for the entire smoke.  Proceed to interrogate and torture the brisket at 185 degrees F in the middle of the flat and continue to interrogate every five degrees until fork tender.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[Helheim]

Doesn't the IT only need to be 160? I tried my first brisket on the weekend, turned out ok but took a lot longer than I thought it would.

[Caneyscud]

A 160 IT is only good on steaks and 'TENDER" pieces.  A brisket needs time at 160 and above to break down the toughness.  At 160, the temperature is really just getting started doing it's "thang".

[Caneyscud]

Nolan,  Pachanga and others have given you some great advice and a good description of what happens to a brisket - and other meat for that matter.  You've got the low-n-slow mantra down, but as stated too low.   Typically, I (and many others) will preheat the cabinet to 260 or so, start the pucks, put in the meat and reset the temp to 220 or 230.  That way you overcome some of the initial temp drop.  Low-n-slow is a cool combination of meat cooking science and the Laws of Thermodynamics and a balancing act between the two.  BTW, braising and foiling can give you good and tasty results - but IMNSHO, nekkid gives you the quintessential brisket experience!

[Helheim]

Ah that's why it wasn't as tender as I thought it should be. Thanks.

[nolan]

Thanks for all the advice, I just completed my second brisket this morning and it turned out perfect! 

1.)7.5 lb beef brisket - Dry rub with Montreal Steak Seasoning and black pepper and let sit on counter
2.) Preheat smoker for about an hour (240*)
3.)Placed beef on 2nd shelf from bottom and smoked in Jim Beam Oak for 5 hours (@ 220*).  Replenished water in drip pan at 3 hours.
4.)Slow cooked at 220* for a total of 13 hours (including smoke time)
5.)Removed from smoker with IT of 190* (insert fork in bottom 1/3 of brisket and twist- meat easily broken open - indicating done)
6.)Double wrapped in foil and let rest before slicing.

In addition to the advice I received from forum members, I owe a lot to the Maverick ET-7 thermometer.    I set it to alert me when the brisket reached 185* and about 4:45AM, it started beeping on my night stand and woke me up.  I was able to let it reach 190* before I tested it with a fork (twist test).  It was very juicy and cut with fork tender...

[FLBentRider]

Looks good nolan.

Mine took 20 hours to get to 190F.

[Pachanga]

Nolan,

Thanks for the update.

Looks like you have it down already.  Glad it worked out for you.  It also looks like you have been busy (or at least pretended to be busy while the Bradley toked along).

Nice looking projects.

Good luck and slow smoking,

Pachanga

[MPTubbs]

Good job Nolan!

Looks great.